The Flying Squirrel 173 



love for a new amusement. One evening I placed 

 in their cage two small apples. Upon awakening 

 the squirrels discovered the apples, and one of them 

 began to nibble at the fruit. The other squirrel ap- 

 proached the one eating the apple, who, to avoid 

 being disturbed, immediately carried the apple into 

 the wheel to complete his feast. In some manner 

 the wheel began to revolve, and the bounding of the 

 apple on the wire bars so amused the squirrel that 

 he forgot his hunger, and began a play entirely new 

 to him. Soon the other squirrel was attracted by the 

 lively noise produced by the apple striking on the 

 bars, and he joined his comrade in the wheel, and 

 a rollicking time they had of it, jumping and bounding 

 over the apple, while the wheel was rapidly revolving. 

 This was the beginning of what proved to be great 

 sport for the squirrels. After this it was not unusual 

 for them to have two or three large nuts in the wheel , 

 and when the wheel revolved somewhat of a medley 

 resulted. 



In all their varied movements in the wheel they 

 were marvellously quick and graceful. Their motions 

 were at times too rapid for the eye to follow. Eome 

 idea of their agility may be obtained by a description 

 of the passage from the cage into the wheel; to go 

 into the wheel the squirrels had to pass through 



